Wireless networks are constantly evolving and many networks now offer significantly increased bandwidth relative to prior generations of wireless networks. A number of mobile service providers now offer traditional media broadcast services, similar to those offered by cable or satellite television service providers. The wireless links in a 1× Evolution-Data Optimized (EVDO) network, for example, between the distributed base stations and the mobile terminals, provide sufficient bandwidth (for example, on the order of 50 MBps) for such emerging media broadcast services. The EVDO standard has been adopted by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2) collaboration, as part of the CDMA2000 family of standards. Similarly, the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is a competing broadband wireless standard that has also been adopted by a number of mobile telephony service providers.
Consumers today have a wide selection of content available from many sources, including traditional broadcast television networks and the Internet (World Wide Web) The wide variety of available programming and content makes it increasingly challenging for a user to conveniently identify content of interest. Existing wireless media broadcast systems generally employ a “pull” model, whereby a user selects the content to be downloaded from a flat list, a hierarchical list, or by searching, fox example, using a search engine, such as Google™.
Traditional media broadcasters, on the other hand, generally employ a “push” model in a “channel” structure, in which simultaneous streams of content (i.e., “channels”) are available to the end user, who can select a desired channel. Identical content is typically broadcast to all subscribers on a given channel. With the advent of two-way digital systems, some channels were added for custom programming, such as video-on-demand, where a user receives and controls their own individual content stream. Historically, television viewers select television programs of interest by reviewing a television program guide, such as a grid that lists the available television programs by date and time, channel and title. A number of electronic program guides (EPGs) exist that allow television viewers to select television programs in accordance with personal preferences.
The notion of a “channel” is different in a wireless broadband network environment, however; where the channel structure allows simultaneous users to connect over the same physical air interface to the network. Since wireless networks were primarily designed for carrying voice traffic, they adhere to the telephony model, in which each mobile terminal occupies an individual channel. The channel is used to relate the user and the network, not the user and different streams of content. Accordingly, each user typically has a single personal channel over which any content can be provided.
A need exists for a virtual channel structure that can be overlaid on the otherwise unstructured distribution of content in broadband wireless network. A further need exists for methods and apparatus that provide wireless delivery of customized content based on the location or other preferences of the user in a wireless network.